Rosh Hashana message

Giving birth to a future of possibilities

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Each time we hear the sound of the shofar at Rosh Hashana services, we answer with a prayer called Hayom Harat Olam. The text of the prayer says: “Today the universe is as it was at its birth. Today all creation is called to judgment.”

What does it mean for the universe to be as it was at its birth? The second and third words of the title contain multiple meanings that offer answers to the question. Harat means to give birth. The words herayon (pregnancy) and horeh, parent, come from the same Hebrew root. Olam, which we often translate as universe also means eternity. The implication of the words is that whether or not this day is the historical date of the birth of the universe, still, this is a day that is pregnant with eternity, that is, this is the day that offers us unlimited possibilities for the future.

Yes, the Jewish High Holy Days are days for remembrance. We analyze our past in order to determine, where we have been and whom we have become in life. As God judges us, we judge ourselves. But these days are a lot more than that. They are also an opportunity to prepare for a future “pregnant” with possibilities!

Our self-examination is not simply a weighing of the spirit. When we assess ourselves, we do so hoping to develop our strengths and diminish our weaknesses in order to be ready for all the possibilities that await us.

May each of us be blessed with a good year: a year in which we realize our strengths and talents and use them to make the best year for ourselves from of all of the possibilities and opportunities that life brings our way.

Shanah Tovah u’mitukah.

May you be blessed with a good and sweet year.

Rabbi Graber is the spiritual leader of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere.